Hello, my name is Ambrianna Sherif...

For my first blog post, I thought it would only be right to share my story on how I became a Holistic Health Coach Practitioner and why I am so passionate helping other women become the healthiest version of themselves.

I’ve been working in the Health Care Industry for about 8 years now. After going to school for Fashion Business Industry and working as a stylist, visual merchandiser, events coordinator and sales, the doors into this industry opened for me when I got hired at a dental office as their receptionist. The office manager who hired me explained it was a “trial run” since I had no previous dental experience. After my first week, I decided this was a much better place for me then the Fashion Industry and working in Health Care was the right move to make.

Like every high school girl, working in fashion was the dream! From the glamorous events to the beautiful clothes, I was sold. When I graduated high school, I was working at a Montreal-based boutique as a stylist. As an 18-year-old young woman, everyone who was in the fashion industry seemed so charismatic and intriguing. However, the longer I worked in fashion, I began to see how toxic the industry was – chronic dieting and eating disorders were seen as normal, obsessing over dress size and the number on the scale was common conversation, unhealthy competition was encouraged, and every single person had many insecurities from financial to body image issues.

“At the time, I did not know much about what it meant to be healthy, but I knew having an obsession over physical appearance was not the answer.”

It wasn’t until I had a summer internship in 2013 working as a Social Media and Events Coordinator for an Italian shoe company, that I realized the fashion industry was not for me. I would work 8+ hours a day on social media posts, helping on the sales floor, hiring models and photographers, and organizing community events. I went above and beyond at this internship (for FREE I might add) with the hopes of being hired. After all the hard work I put in, I never received a single thank you or hint at any type of appreciation for my hard work. I always knew as a woman of colour I would have to work twice as hard as anyone else, but I knew I deserved a job where I felt valued… not dispensable. The longer I worked in fashion the more I felt unseen, unheard, and not valued. So with a gentle push from a good friend, I took a leap and started applying to health care offices which resulted in landing that receptionist job at the dental office.

Maybe it was my previous work experience in customer service, or my personal drive to excel in this new career path, a year later I was still working as the receptionist for the dental office. I went from being a “trial run” employee to being the head receptionist with talks of taking on a larger role as the office grew. I knew I liked interacting with patients, but I was missing that excitement I felt when I was in fashion. I thought if I worked in a dental specialty office maybe I would find that excitement, so I accepted a job at an office that specialized in Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics as a receptionist with room to grow.

After a year, I was trained to work as a Treatment Coordinator for the office. I spent my weekends learning from the office manager and doctors everything about dentistry, orthodontics, myofunctional therapy, temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD), and how to effectively relay this information to the patient. I spent my weekdays practicing what I learned on the job which allowed me to gain valuable skills that would later help me become the health coach I am today.

I loved everything I was learning about dentistry and overall health, that was the excitement I needed! Being in a career where I could interact with people, help them feel healthy and confident with the opportunity to learn new things daily was a perfect fit for me. As a Dental Treatment Coordinator, I worked alongside the doctors – running new patient consultations, explaining diagnosis and treatment plans to patients, as well as ensuring patient success throughout treatment.

After a few years in this role, I started going above and beyond my job description by asking patients about personal health and wellness goals that could further the success of their dental treatment. I would share with them articles and books I’ve read on nutrition, stress management or improving cognitive function - since that is what I was personally invested in to better my own health after a severe car accident that left me with a traumatic brain injury… that’s a story for another day. 

“Once I realized I had a passion for educating and encouraging people to live a healthier lifestyle, I started looking for ways I could become certified to do this for a living.”

I began searching for nutrition schools to further my career in the Health Care Industry. That is when I found the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, an online school based in New York that focuses on bridging the gap between western medicine and holistic health practices. Thankfully, I had a friend who attended this school and raved about how amazing the health coaching program is. With her recommendation, I dove right in!

Throughout the program I was taught the importance of whole-body health: considering one’s physical, mental, and emotional health to gain the ability to look past their symptoms and get to the root cause. I learned how to use nutrition as medicine and how simple shifts in one’s lifestyle can make dramatic positive changes to their health.

This radically changed my view on what healthy living was really about!

The media portrays healthy living as having an “all or nothing” approach with a heavy focus on physical health. From my days working in fashion, I knew this wasn’t healthy at all. From my own personal experience, spending an hour at the gym 4-5 days a week and tracking macronutrients only resulted in me being stressed, overwhelmed, and not seeing enough results to help me to reach my goals.

With this new outlook on health, I was able to fully heal myself from the injuries I sustained in the car accident. I was able to reach my health and wellness goals, truly feeling my best. I was able to turn the information I learned and apply it to my current lifestyle. I started implementing simple healthy habits into my daily routines and that were easy to maintain – creating my version of a healthy lifestyle that allowed me to achieve my goals. This was huge for me!

As soon as I got my advanced diploma as a Health Coach Practitioner and Integrative Nutritionist, I opened my practice to be able to give all women the chance to be educated and encouraged to better their health. To help women of all backgrounds realize they deserve to invest in themselves and gain the valuable tools needed to nourish not just their physical health but also their mental and emotional health.

Now, I feel valued every single day by helping my clients and women in my community feel seen and heard. I took the steps, gained the necessary education and experience to be able to create the life I have always dreamed of. 

MORAL OF THE STORY: follow your passions, fill your day with activities that align with you, and you will find your purpose. xx